The Sun. — London, England, 1809-07-12 00:00:00

unexampied loyalty of the inhabitants it wai confidently hoped that Vienna might-for a few days seve as 3 Tete de Pont to cover the passage of the, river f whence all preparatioriamounted to no more than to secure the place against a coup-de-main ; and fir this reason the Archduke bad some time betore Airectecl Field-Marshal Hiller to send part of his corps along. the right bank towards-the in the event of his (the Archduke's) passage to the left shore.. • Field-Marshal Hiller.now received orders to burn the Bridge near Stain in his rear,. to leave -a smlll corps of observation near Krems, to hasten by forced march - es .wit - h the built of ,his army to the environs of Vienna, and, as Circumstances would permit, by occupying the small islands, to keep upthe eonitnu-, picatiroh 'with the city and the &bundle acrOss,the • bridges. • • The army of the Archduke now - advanced, 'with out interruption,. by Neupolia; Horn, and Weiken dorf upon Stockerau ; and, in order to overawe such enter Prizes as the enemy might project, front the en virons of Linz, part of .the corps of the General of Artillery Count Kollowrafh, which till then had re mained near Pilsen With a view to•secure the 'North and West Frontier of Bohetwa, was ordered to urirch to Budweis. Napoleon had used so much expedition, on his atarcii that On the 9th of May his ad vanced If , ops appealed on the glacis of 'the_fortress, whence ate)/ were driven by some cantionshot. From three to tour thousand regular troops, as runty Armed - citizens, and some battalions of court -try detended the city's ordnance of , va rioiot calibre 4as - placed upon the ramparts; the sulrars kk' ere 'abandoned on'accuunt of their great. extent ; and the ounterotis Islands and low bushy ground. behind the town Were occupied by some light troops '.of corps of Haler as well as .by . The corps itself was posted , on what is termed. ". the P6intr on the left-shore of the river, 'waiting the arrival of the .araiy, which was adVancing iii has,e. The occupation of Vienna formed too essential a part in the extensive plans of the French Emperor ; its conquest had been announced by him with too time!) confidence, and was of too great importance toWards'confirming the prejudice of his irresistible power, for him not to employ every method of takirg it before the. assistance which was so near could arrive. For the s p ace of twenty-four 'hours Ole howit. zers played, upon the town ;. and though several houses were et on • fire,' the courage of the inhabi tant; remained unshaken. But a general devastation threatened their valuable property, and when at length the enemy ; .availing himself of the numerous craft which he found there, ecossed the smaller 'branches of the flambe., dislodged the troops from the nearest i,lands, and menaced their cotnntuni cation- with the Jolt .b.ink, the city was jUstitied in capitulaithg, whiie the troops tetreated by .the great bride ut Tabor, which they afterwards, set on fire. , • The,Archduke received this intelligence in his head.qualtels, beßtecn Horn and Aleissau, and though i; was scaxely to be expected that the city, surruun,:ed as it was, sht , uict continue its resistance, the Archdokeproceecivd-on I“is march without inter ruption, liatteriog that he might tie able to execute It s tavoarte prOjt.Cl 'by a bold atlempt to pass the atilutte,neilr Vienna. ltus i city. capitula(egi ,n,the I . 3th of. May, so that there was no Waller occasion to expose the army to hazard by crussiitg the Danune,•tor which no suffi cient preparation had heen made, and which _must have bcenlt-tfe'cfcd in the Lace ot the enemy, and under 10c:1 circiiiii,taiic,es of the greatest.disadvan tage. By the surrender ot Vienna, the army had also lost a p. , ,int of tiktpport on which to rest its tarn operati,,ns. . In this - situation of affairs the Archduke re solved to collect Ins army at 'the foot ,of • the - hill. Bisarnberg, and. allow it a few days of rep,. which, after so many forced matches, it urgently wanted.-,-- The , cavalry, tor the • cunvenience of water, was posted along the Russ, a small rivulet, which is con cealed by round covered with bushes, aid the ad vtnced guards pushed forward to tle Danube, in order to observe. the movements, of the enemy, and prevent - . his passing the river, which he had already attempted to - do from Nufsdorf, to what is called the Black Lacke, but with so-little success, that a batta lion .of his advanced gnard was taken. 1. he chain 'of the outposts extended on the left side as tar as the -March, and on the right to Krems ; tilts place and Presburg ,were occupied by some bat talioti,; and the head-quartersofthe Archduke were, on the i6th of May, at Ebersdorf, near the high road leading to Braun. On the i oth the outposts reported, that the enemy had taken possession of the Great .Island of *Lobat, within about six. English miles of Vienna ; that his numbers irrt.reased there every hour, and that ,he seemed to be employed in throwing a bridge across the great arm of the Danube behind the Island. From the tt.p of i the..Bisamberg, the whole • of the opposite o,untry appeared to be enveloped in a cloud of du.a, -and the glitter of , arms ed a general movement of the troops beyond Summering, toward Kaiser-Ebersderf, whither, ac-. com=ing to the • later accomits,:.the Emperor Na poeoti had removed his - head quarters, :and was by its presence hastening, and promoting the prepara tioiis ior passing the river. Uu ,the foifo, lug: wornitig at day-break, the Akhduke resolved to reconnoitre the. Island, and .etußloy tor.t.his purpose part of.the.advanced guard, ut.c:er the command of Field-Alarshal-Lieuienant C,,aut..Kienau,. supported by slime regiments .of cavatry.,_ The Isle of Lobau forms a convenient place of arms, which is about six English miles long, and. tout and a half . broad, and being separated by the. large arm of the Dpriube from the right bank, no thing preVents the building of a bridge, which is concealed by ground covered ,with bushes; and the. great extent of the Island affords the advantage of sending troops and ordnance from so many points. 01 a, that the pas : sage.aeross the smaller arm to the large plain Of iVlArclifield, may be made good by force of It V.di was soon perceived by the strength of, the .ininy's columns which advanced upon the island, 4n 1 ~laced theii cannon so as ,to support the second paaBr, thAt he meditated a serious attack. ,The tent, and the cavalry routed the first divi,iun of the enemy; which debouched from the low grounds o t r the edge of the river, late in the evening ; upon which the Archduke, whose intention was out to p ie _ vent the paswge of the enemy, but to attack him the following day, retreated „with his cavalry to Anderklaa, and ordered the advanced troops to Wt. b ick to Mass, according as-the enemy should-extend himself. • - • On - the 21st at day-break the Archduke ordered hisaruly under arms, and formed it •in two lines on Use rising ground behind Gerasdorl, and between the ,Bisam-hill and the. rivulet Russ. The corps.of Lieutenant-General Hiller formed. the right wing, near Starnmersdorf on its:lett was thedcorps of the General . of CaV.alry Count Beilegarde,. and melit to that the corps of Lieutenant-General Prince Hohen., zollern, in the allignernent Deutsch-Wagram. The corps of Prince Rosenberg was ; posted by battalions. in coluan on the Rusbach on the . rivulet Russ, kept Deutsch-Wagram strongly occupied; having, for the security of the left wing, placed on the heights beyond that place a division en reserve.. The whole cavalry,- which the day before had advanced under thepurimand of Prince Lichtenstein by Anderklaa, was called back into the line, filling, in two lines, the space intervening between the lett wing of Prince Hohenzollern and the right of Prince Rosenberg. The vast Plain of lgarchfield, spread like a carpet bcfore the front of . the line, and appeared, by the. absence of every obstruction, to be destined to form the theatre of some great event. The grenachels.re• mained in reserve near,Seiering, and the corps of the General of Artillery Prince of Reuss kept the Bi,ain hill, arid the low bushy ground along the Danube strongly occupied. Part of it was still left near Krems, the corps being almost broke .up by having so many of its divisions detached to so considerable a distance.. At nine o'clock, the Archduke ordered the arms to be piled, and the .trou t . sto dine. The piquet of observation on the Bisam-hill reported that the bridge across the Danube behind the. Isle of Lobau, being now quite finished, was plainly perceivable, and that troops were without intermission seen tiling off dyer it, as well as passing in boats, to the Isle.— The outposts, likewise, gave information, of the gradual augmentation of the enemy in .the town of Enzerdorf and in the villages- of Essling and Aspern, and of his advancing towards , Hirschstetten. The Archduke Charles now •thought that the moment for giving. battle had arrived„ and hastened to Gerasdorf, where the chief of his Quarter-waster - General's Staff, General Baron, Wimpsen sketched out the following plan. . . Plan of attack upon the hostile army on its march between Eilingana Aspern, and tnwaids Hirschstetten. " The attack to be made in five columns. The first column, c r the column of the right wing, is formed by the corps of - Lieutenant-General Hiller. It will aoVance from its present position in the &rec..: tion -between the " Point" and Leopoldau along the neatest arms of the Danube, pAss_ along the left bank towards Stadelau and .Asperu, keep-constantly near the Danube and. the_ meadows bordering upon it, and is vigorously to ,repulse Ine enemy, who Most likely will meet it on the same road, and to 'drive him trout the lett bank. Tni,sc column Must not suffer its pogress to be impeded by the batteries which the enemy perhaps may have ere&ed on the Islands, i but must tndeavuur to silence - them -by its caution,- and snnitedly coarinum-to auvance. • "The. , second .column consists of the corps of he General , of 'cay.airy-Count Bellegarde ; leaving Gerasdorf :to the left, it will. march towards Leo poidau, endeavour to join the first coluinn on the right, advance upon. Kagra,l, and then, conjointir with the third column, upon the left push for ward; towards .thrschstetten. " The third columu'is composed of the corp s o f Lieutenant-General—Prince- -Holien-zollern. it march by Sussenbrunn to Breitenlee, and. from thence towards Aspen), and will endeavour, to join on iis right the second column,. and on its left the fourth. " The forth Column under the command of Lieu tenam-General Prince Rosenberg, ,is made up of that part of his corps which is posted on the right bank of the 'rivulet. Russ : it is to advance, by.Anderklaa and Raschdort, towards Essling. " The fifth column is formed by that part of Prince Rosenberg's corps, which stands between Deutsch-Wagratn and Beaumersdorf. It will .cross the Russ near Beaumersdorf, leave Raschderf and Bischdorf to the right,. endeavour to pass to the left round the town of Enzersdorf; and secure its left flank by the Archduke Ferdinand'4 regiment of Hussars. " The cavalry-reserve' under the command of Ge neral Prince Lichtenstein, to march by the . way of Anderklaa, without coming in contact With the: fourth column, between Raschdorf and Breitenlee, and straight to the New Inn, ket-ping continually at such a distance between the heads of the third and, fourth columns, as in ease of necessitx to be.near at hand for the purpose of repelling the main body of . . the enemy's cavalry. "The grenadier corps of reserve to march from Seiering into the position which the corps-of Belle garde has taken up behind Uerasdorf. " All the columns and corps will march at twelve o'clock at noon. Their second lines to follow them at a suitable distance. Every column to form its, own advanced guard. The order of march, and the distribution of the field pieces to be lett to, the judg ment of the commanders of the respective corps.— The whole will march by half divisions. Lieu tenant-General Klenau to form the advanced guard of the fourth and fifth columns, arwl, before he ad- VAOCC3, to suffer the heads of these columns to come . quite up to him; in order that he may have at hand a sufficient support of infantry. - " Of the corps of cavalry, the brigade under the command of Veesey to be attached to the second co lumn, and the regiment O'Reilly to the third ; an d both brigades are to repai r immediately, the former to Gerasdorf, and the latter to Sussenbrunn. " The principal objet in view is to drive back the enemy entirely over the first arms of the 'Danube, destroy the bridges he has thrown over them, and occupy the bank of the Lobau with a numerous ar 7 tillery, especially howitzers. "The infantry will form on the Plain in batta lions, with half divisions from the centre. " His Imperial Highness the. General in Chief re commends order, closeness during the actvance, and. will. be wit !xl he second colunin. Gerasdorf, May 21., 1809." The ist column consisted of 19 Battalions, 22 Squadrons. 20 - 16 3d . IS 4th -- h 16 - The corps of cavalry 7 8 Thy- curps..ol_ 16 Total 103, Battalions 143 Squadrons, All which amounted to 75,000 men effective troops. ", Of artillery, there were eighteen batterieS of bri gade, thirteen of position, and ele% en of horse artil. lery ; in. the aggregate two hundred and ei g b ty eig hj of different calibres. The enemy had availed himself extremely well of the advatrages of the ground to cover his pas sage. The extensive villages of - Essling and As'- pern, mostly composed of brick houses, and encir cled all round by heaps of earth, resembled two bastions, between which kdouble line of natural trenches, intended to .draw off the water, served as. the curtain, and afforded every - poSiible security to the columns passing from the Isle of Lobau. Ess ling had a granary furnished with loop-holes, , and whose three stories afforded room for several him, red, men, while Aspen) was provided with a strong church-yard. ' The left side Of the latter village borders on an arm of the Danube. Both villages had a safe communication with the bushy ground near the Danube, trom which the enemy had it constantly in his power to dispatch, unseen, fresh reinforcements. The Isle of Lobau .served at once as a plaCe of arms, and as a tete dttpont, a bridge-head for the bridge, in the rear across the main arm of the river. The enemy with the divisions Of Genefals Mo litor, Boudet, Nansoutyi- Legrand, 'Espagnaf La salle, and Ferrand,•utider the Marshals Massena and Lasties,- as well as Marshal Bcssieres, together will-i -t-he Guards of (he Wurternberg, • Hesse-Darmstadt, and 13daden had already left' this posi tion, and was directing his. march towards Hirsch stetten, when the fist Austrian advanced guards met him. Wit be at all permitted in. war, to indulge favour able preseroitnei.ts•, it was certainly excu-a;ie so to, do at thatgteat moment,. hen, on the 21st of nv,_ exattt) at Twelveo'ci.q.k, the . columns began to put themselves in motion for the attack. A general enthusiasm had tailt:ll possession — of the troops : joyful war-songs, accompa:iied•by lc is h music, resounded through the air, and were interrupted_ by . ' shouts of " Long - Liv,e our Emperor ! Long live the Archduke Charles - I" whenever the Imperial Gene- • ral apPeired, who had placed himself at the head of the second coluMn.:. Every-breast panted with anx ious desire and high contideace , after the decisive moment and the finest weather favoured the awftil scene. BATTLE OF TnE 2I ST OF MAY. FTRaT COLUMN. The advanced guard under General Nordman, consisting of two battalions of Gyulay and Lichten stein Hussars, had formed near the destruyed bridge of Tabor; And leaving the villoges of Kagran . and Hirsebstetten to the left;' and Stadlau to the right, matched in the plain towards Asper n. It Was - followed by the column, which having left the high road before the post-otce at StanamerN - ,, dorf, had marched from the right ,by halt divisions. Its right Hank along the Danube was covered by battalion of St. Georgian's, by the first battalion of Vienna Volunteers, and ,by..a battalion of Militia, under the. command .of Major -Count Col loved°. Within•a. cannon-shot of Stadelau . : the out-pOsts, met the enemy's piquets, gradually retreated to their original divisions. Atahis time_Genetal Nordman ordered two bat talions of Gyulay to draw up en ,Echellon, in order to favour the advance of the column. The e nemy , drawn up in large divisions, stood immediately be fore Aspern, having, to cover his front, occupied all the ditches of the fields, which afforded excellent breast works. His right was covered by a battery, and his left by ,a broad and deep ditch. (one of those that.carry off the waters of the Danube when it over flows); as well as by a bushy ground, which was likewise occupied by several.bodies in close order. -Though the enemy had the advantage of position all to himself, inasmuch as-the freShes of the Da nubewere only passable by means of a small bridge, at which he kept up avigorous,fire from behind the ditches both. with cannon, and, small-arms, it did not prevent the second battalion of Gyulay, immediately after the first had penetrated as far as the bushy meadows, to pass the bridge in a column, to form without delay., and with charged bayonets to attack the enemy,. who preuipitately retreated to Aspern, on which occasion that village, after a vigorous but not very obstinate resistance, was taken for the first time. It was, however, net long before the enemy had it in his power, by the 'arrival of a ,fresh rein forcement, to expel again the battalions of Giulay. By this time some battalions of the column had ar rived, the ghasseurs of Major Schneider, of the - se- Bond column, joined the advanced guard of the first; Gyulay formed again, and the enemy was a second time pushed to the lower end of the Village, though he suCceede&agaiti,in regaining what he had lost. Both parties were aware of the necessity of main taining • themselves in Aspern at any rate, which produced successively the most obsiini4te eff .rts both of attack and delotice; . the 'parties engaged each other in every street, in ev ery house, and in every barn ; carts, I),loughs, arid ha i rrows, were obliged Ito be removed during an uninterrupted fire, in Order - ni get at the enemy ; ..every individual wall was an impediment of 'the assailants, and a rampart of the attacked ; the steeple; lofty - trees, the garrets and the cellars were to be conquered before either of the parties could stile itself master of the place, and yet the possession was ever of short duration ; for no sooner had we taken a street or,a house, than the enemy gained another, forcing .us to abandon the, former. So this 'murderous conflid lasted for se veral hours; the German battalions were supported by Hungarians, who were again assisted by the Vienna volunteers, each rivalling the other in courage and perseverance. At the same, time the second column Combined its attacks with these of the first, having to overcome the same resistance,• by reason of the enemy's contantly leading fresh reinforce ments into tire. At length General Vacquant of the second column succeeded in becoming master of the upper parr of the village, and maintaining himself there daring the whole of the night. DI the 411 e Of DOM parties trniny iniu s e s been set on tire, and illuminated ,the whole try around. At the extremity of the right wing on the bushy meadow the comb.ns were not ,less severe. The lett bank of the enemy was secured by an arm of the Danube ; impenetrable underwood, intersected only by, footpaths, covered his front ; and a broad ditch a - nd palisadOes atiOrded him the advantage of a natural rampart. ' Here fought -at the beginning of the battle the first battalion of Gyulay under Colonel Mariassy ; ' then the battalion of cliasseurs under Major Sch neider; next the, St. Georgians under Major ballot ich, awl finally, the two battalions of Vienna VolUnteers under Lieutenant-Colonel Steigentesch and St. Quentin. Here, also, the enemy was de'-, feated ; and the first day of thin saoguinary engage went terminated by the occupation of Aspern by General Vacquant, at the bead of eight battalions of the second column, while Lieutenant-Fiefd-Mar thal- Hiller drew the 'troops of his corps from the Placed them agaih - is order cf battle, and pasSe ' d the night Under arms. SECOND COLUMN The advanced guard, commanded by Lienteuant General Fresnel, advanced by Leopoldan and Ka gran towards Hirschstetten, and consisted of 'one battalion "of cliasseurs and two battaiions of Anton Mitsovsky under General Winzingerode, as well as the brigades of cavalry, Klemit?, and Vincent, * under General Veesev. It was followed -in the same di re6lion by tho column horn its position near Geras dorf. • The enemy haying been discovered from the emi nences near. Hirschstetten to- be near Aspern and Esslingen, the Brigade Veesey was - detached against ' the, latter place, and 'the - brigade WierzingerOde to • diSlodge the enemy from Aspern. The column deployed- ,before nirschstetten• in two lines, in order to suppott the advanced guard, and leaving Aspern to the right, followed upon the ' plain at a proper distance. • Thy, brigade of Winz,ingerode; howevcr, met with so spirited a resistance in its attempt upon A;-era, that an -attack upon r _the trout alone was not likely to be attended with- success ; the cavalry, werefOre, of the advanced guard, was pulied forwar.l from Aspern on the lett, iu order to supp or t t h e attac k on , the Bank with the two batteries of c‘ivalty,. as to facilitate the junction with the third 'coiatun which was advancing by Breitenlee: Ai the saws time the regiment or Reuss :Platten was o:-t - ed .to the right side of Aspern, a vatW to an attac-k )11 that place, the rest of. the corps .was,.-tOrtned-into CloSe columns of battalions.. • Meali•While the enemy formed his left wing, which he refused, towards Aspern; mid his right upon Essling p en. 'Thus lie advanco with columns of infantry and Cavalry upon the. main army, witiie an extremely • brisk- - cannonade supported - him. line of tWelve regiroents of cuirassiers formed the centre of the second line , of the enemy, giving - 'to thin • whole an impaing aspeCt. 'Meanwhile the attack of a battaliprr 14...u5s- Plirti - ar 6-ii-WinWas repulsed, anti 'it gave way, . being thrown into consternation by, the loss of its Commander, but it rallied itrunediatdy atier. - Count Bellegarde ordered- General Baccpant to renew the attack with the regiment of Vogel Sang, • and to carry the village at all hazards. The latter oboyed the order with the most Witham success, and As pern, thotigh defended' by twelve - thousand of the best of the enemies' troops, was carried by storm ; Bacquant being assisted by the regiment of Reuss- Planen,' by a hattalion o:Archdeke Miner-, and. by . the brigade of iilaier of the third coloinn. • To frustrate this attack, the enemy advanced With two columns of infantiy, supported by his heavy cavalry, upon the main army; repulsed the two regiments oh Kienau - andrilincears light horse, and tell upon the infantry. . The latter.,e*peCting him, with their firelocks ready, and with cool intrepidity, tired at ten p :ces distance so ettitually, as totally to rout enet,y, upon which General \ Xeesey, at the of a divi sion of Klenau, attached the eneinv:s cuilassicrs with :such.energy,' that their - retreat Was followed by that of the-infantry.- • Hereby the ar m y a l ong t h e w h o l e of i t s line ' was -. disengaged froth the enemy, obtained cotint2unica. : tion on the lett , with t h e corps of - Prince tiohen zollern, and became posse sse d o f t h e i mportant post of 'Asper°. The enerhy hieing in tull retreat at -tempted no further attack, and confined tlint . self merely to a cannonade. The corps rentained during the night under arms. Tlie enemy repeated, Irideed„ his attacksOn Aspern, but they all ploved Iniucces , THIRD COLUMN. This column, according io its destination, had began its march from its ; ' o !ion at Beiering, uy the road of Sussenbruini alto lircitehive, Some divi sions of Olt!illy's light horse and . ellass t -urs furuted the advanced L;uard of the cnintmi, and at three o'clock in the afternoon Wel near. liirschstetten, the left wing of the enemy, which consisted mostly of cavalry. As about this time the 'first and second columns advanced intrepidly upon A,*frn, and theen*cmy began.to fait hack to hi.. p o s it i o n bt:t wevii Essliogeti and Aspen), Liemenam-General Hohenzollern or dered no Ids batteries, athl a %ery nri,k cannonade commenced on both sides. The first line torined iii close columns of batta lions and advanced with the greatest resolution Uj,- on the euetny„' when his cavalry suckienly rushed. forward in such disproportimiate nunthers, anu kit itfi such rapidity, that there \vas scarcely'. time to 5..1% e the artillery which had been broUglit and the laittalions were lett to defend theiw.-i.es by their own unsupported exertions. This was the remark able monient in which the regiments yr ;Lcb, Jo. seph, Colloredo, 'Lett t;,•iti, From], a b,,ittarioa of Stein's-, and the seetit,d thittalion at the Archduke Charles's LegiOn, tinder the conduct of Licutenatit-, General Brady, and Generals thiresch, Maier, anti Koller; demotoftrated with unparalleled fortitude what the fixed determination . ..to ciiiiquer or die is 0 capable of etfraing against. the must tnyetuous at tacks. The . enemy's cavalry turned these\ battalions on both wings, penetrated between the.in, repulsed thq squadrons of O'Reiiiy's Light Horse, who were un-, able to withstand such a superior iOrce, and in the confidence of vino. , summoned ther o he roes-1u lay do n t .tir awls. A wcii-directed 4nd